Practice Princess
by MischaLoth
Summary: Royal Prep Academy proudly welcomes its newest staff member: A Fairy Godmother in Training straight from the Academy run by Cinderella's famous fairy friend! However it seems some students get a bad feeling about the new fairy- and yet Sofia does not. Could they have another Miss Nettle on their hands? Or is there more to this story than they're seeing?
1. Fairy Melody

"Sofia," Amber was in rare form today hands clasped tightly, waving a bit as she spoke. "You are not going to believe who I just saw." In the following silence, the blonde princess bounced on her (fashionable) heels, Sofia was unsure where to answer or simply wait for Amber to blurt out whatever it was that had gotten her so excited.

Seconds passed and the silence continued so the dark haired Princess decided that she was intended to answer. "Who is it, Amber?" If Amber was this eager, it had to be something big. Her sister was not the most excitable of the princess, prone to maintaining her dignified air until she absolutely had to break it. It was one of Amber's more admirable traits.

"Fairy Godmother!"

"Oh?" Perhaps it was her lack of Princess-related knowledge that kept Sofia slightly puzzled by the revelation.

"As in Cinderella's Fairy Godmother!"

"Oh!" Now that was exciting news. "What's she doing here!?"

"When Fairy Godmother comes to visit that can only mean one thing!" Amber flicked her fan in a downward motion to emphasize the finality of her statement. "A new Fairy Godmother in Training is picking out a Practice Princess."

"What…?" Sofia had understood all of the words individually, however, collectively they had thrown her for a loop.

"You remember Fairy Brittany right?"

"Of course I do! She mended my shoes before dance class last week!" Sofia was always happy to meet knew staff, with the exception of Miss Nettle, the school had a wonderful group of fairies and humans that kept everything going. Fairy Brittany had been in charge of mending torn dresses, scuffed shoes, and fixing up rumbled hair with just a wave of her wand. She was always so cheerful, ready to help- she even gave Sofia an extra bit of pixie dust to give her the courage to dance with a new partner. But if they were getting a new fairy… "What happened to Fair Brittany? Are they replacing her?"

"What? No! Well, kinda." Amber was quick to contradict herself. "Brittany chose a Practice Princess- Maria, one of the older girls? You probably don't know her- she only stayed here so long because we needed another graduate from the Fairy Academy to take over at the school. It's a complicated process, but it boils down to the fact that a new fairy is coming here to find a new princess and grant her every fashionable whim!"

"Isn't that what Mr. Cedric does?" Sofia pointed out.

"Yes, but fairies are actually good at it. That is why, this year, I just know I'll be the Princess the new fairy picks!"

"I really hope you get it Amber, I bet the new fairy will get a lot of practice from you!" Sofia let the first comment slide, she knew there was no changing their minds yet- but one day they could see Mr. Cedric for the wonderful sorcerer he really was. Plus, if Amber was chosen, that just meant there would be a new face in the palace! And if the new fairy was anything like Fairy Brittany, she would be a wonderful new friend. Sofia found herself really hoping Amber got chosen- though if Vivian was picked, that might be fun too! Vivian could always use the confidence boost that Fairy Brittany was so good at giving, and Sofia would still get to visit and talk to the new fairy… Hildegard would also be a great choice- so regal and confident… any of the princesses would be great.

Sofia walked with her sister through the halls of Royal Prep, passing the usual classroom to head out to the bleachers in the Derby Stadium for a school wide assembly. It was only the second… maybe third time Sofia had seen the school body in its entirety, and in three years of attendance, that really said something about the lack of school-wide events.

Not that Royal Prep was very large, but the age gaps in the students' could be quite immense, the youngest attendees being five and the oldest being eighteen. Sofia, herself, loved seeing everyone together. The way the oldest Princesses and Princes played with the youngest was always endearing. She saw Flora, Fauna, and Merriweather up at the front, full sized, wings fluttering. Beside them was the new fairy, in the same lavender skirt and light purple lacy blouse that Fairy Brittany had always worn- though her vest was a deep red rather than a soft blue. Physically however, she was quite different.

Fairy Brittany had been a robust woman, with rosy cheeks, golden curls, and a frame no larger than the beloved headmasters of the Academy. This new fairy was tall, slender, with pale skin lacking that same cheery blush, her hair was dark black, pulled back so the length was impossible to gauge. She wore glasses with thick black frames that matched her hair but just made her skin look like she was sickly with the contrast.

Amber frowned.

"Usually fairies have better fashion sense when it comes to accessories… she must still be pretty new…" Amber fluffed up her dress before sitting a cushion down and sitting on that rather than the cold metal of the bleacher seats.

"I'll miss Brittany though…" Sofia looked over to see James taking the seat on her other side. "She's gotten my clothes clean before our big dinners so many times I can't even count them all."

"She was really nice," Sofia agreed. "But I bet this new fairy is just as sweet!"

"I'll bet. You remember Fairy Shalayla right?" James seemed only mildly interested in the Practice Princess aspect of the conversation that Amber was obsessing over, but was more than willing to discuss past fairies.

"Oh yeah! She fixed your lance that one time, before the big joust!" Sofia had recalled just how crushed poor James had been.

"She was my favorite."

"I liked Brittany better…" Amber interjected, but the argument was cut short.

"Princesses and Princes!" Flora had her vouice amplified by her wand.

"We are so pleased to see you all here this morning!" Merriweather, too, had her voice enchanted so she could talk over her fellow fairies.

"We have some big news for you all!" Fauna decided to try to get a word in between her fellow fae-folk bickering amongst themselves. "You see-"

"We have a new Fairy Godmother in Training joining us today!" Flora took over seamlessly. "So without further ado-"

"We introduce Fair Melody!" Merriweather took control again.

The fairy in question, Melody as she had been called, had been rather passive through the whole ordeal; while the headmistresses fought over her introduction, she had been fiddling about with her wand, seemingly lost in thought. But as her name was said she looked up. She spoke to Merriweather, but since her voice was not amplified all they could hear was the blue clad fairy waving her off. "No no, not now, Melody dear this is your introduction."

"Merriweather let the poor thing talk." Flora not-so-subtly hip-chucked her sister out of the way. A flick of her wand granted the young fairy the same vocal amplification as her three new mentors.

"-lody." It must have hit her midsentence because the soft spoken voice actually made very little sense when it was first heard. "So you see it's close but not correct…" She trailed off realizing she was loud enough for the entire school to hear. Strangely enough, she froze up for a moment, her face going, if it were possible, even paler.

"It's all right, Deary…" it was the sweet voice of Fauna that egged her on. "You can just say hello." There was a loud noise as Melody swallowed hard and took an involuntary breath.

"Hello…" her voice cracked and the white face was slowly growing very red. "It's nice to… um… meet everyone… Fairy Shalayla was my mentor in school…. She told me… um… great things a-about you." Sofia felt bad for the girl, it seemed public speaking was not her strong point. Perhaps she could offer to help like she did with Vivian! "Please feel free to v-visit me if you need anything- a-anything at all… and… um… okay, I'm… I'm done… talking- how do I undo this, exactly?"

Another flick of Flora's wand and the black haired fairy looked so relieved she might just pass out on the ground. Sofia decided now she definitely had to speak with her. Maybe bring Vivian along so she could have someone to whom she could relate.

"Thank you Melody for that very… complimentary speech." Flora gave her a reassuring smile. "Now students, you may come greet Miss Melody on your own time during lunch or your break, she will be in Miss Brittany's old office. But for right now-"

"It's back to classes!" Merriweather managed to steal the last word as the students began to disperse, deep in conversation, some talking about the new fairy, others discussing school work, or home life, or other unrelated matters.

Amber picked herself up and her pillow, fanning herself lightly. "I think she's got potential. She's no Brittany, but that just means I can teach her fashion myself."

"She seems shy…" Sofia added as she followed James back toward the school. James had lost interest and was currently talking with Zandar about some new ship that was being built by the Tangu armies. "I think I'll drop by to see her with Vivian before lunch…."

* * *

Author's Note: Most of the Fairy Godmother in Training (FGiT) lore is from Walt Disney World's Bibbidi Boppidi Boutique, where I work. I certainly hope the chapter was enjoyable enough. Sorry if it was a little slow. This is my first Sofia fanfic, so critique is welcome!


	2. A Fairly New Friend?

"Sofia, have you gotten the chance to speak with Fairy Melody yet?" Magic class had just let out before she was swarmed by Amber, Hildegard, and Clio in a circle of colorful dresses and glittering jewels. The young Princess shook her head.

"Not yet. Vivian and I were just about to go see her, would you like to join us?"

"No we saw her during our morning Recess." Amber was quick to decline and it left a sinking feeling in the pit of Sofia's stomach.

"Oh?"

"Yes, you see, we found her a little…." Amber twirled her fain in a circular motion as she sought out the right word.

"Off." Clio finished helpfully.

"She's not mean or anything…" Hildegard added, reading the look on Sofia's face. "She's just…" Another pause as a word escaped the trio.

"Sh… she's no Brittany." For Amber to stammer like that- this must have been quite the encounter. Sofia bit her lower lip looking off to the side as she considered her options. Either Amber was too quick to judge- which was possible, or there was something else (possibly something nefarious) happening behind the scenes. It would not be the first time something foul slithered through Royal Prep's halls, but the first option seemed infinitely more likely.

"Well I'm supposed to meet with Vivian so we can go talk to her…" She looked back to her sister. Amber nodded, fluttering her fan in an absentminded gesture.

"Good, tell me what you think of her." The golden haired Princess dictated the order in an offhanded way. "Because you seem to be a good judge of character. You were right about Sascha and about Vivian… you're… just good at this sort of thing." It seemed a little difficult for Amber to admit Sofia's talents when they outweighed her own. But the compliment left the dark haired Princess absolutely glowing.

Even such a small display of trust and confidence from her sister was enough to make Sofia's nervous smile change into a real one.

"I'll let you know!" Sofia was excited now. "I've just got to find Vivian!"

"Great! Thanks Sofia." Amber smiled back at her before gesturing with her fan to Hildegard and Clio. "Let's go grab lunch before the Princes eat everything." In a flurry of glittering fabrics, the Princesses took their leave.

Now all Sofia needed to do was find Vivian, luckily it was not too hard to do. The more withdrawn Princess had gone to put her things back in the art room, so after lunch she could return to her painting in peace. Sofia found her almost instantly.

"Are you ready to go meet Fairy Melody?" Sofia grinned, bouncing gleefully on her heels at the idea. "I think she's still down in the boutique, if we hurry we can still catch her!" The boutique was the name given to the large room where many of the extra gowns and suits for more formal occasions were kept, as well as things like: derby uniforms, competition-grade fans, cheering uniforms, ballet slippers, and the lost and found. It was also where the Fairies practiced that transformation magic; hair, clothes, make-up anything that might have been required of a Prince or Princess on a short notice. It was really a useful place to visit no matter the occasion.

"You think she'll be okay with us stopping in? I mean, it's her first day we don't want to overwhelm her…" Vivian was an introvert, and thusly thought of things Sofia sometimes overlooked. Overwhelmed? Well that could be a possibility.

"We can always just try to visit, and if she seems nervous we can just try later."

"Sounds like a plan."

The two Princesses headed down the hall, into the ballroom and through the back exit into the bright pink and white room that glittered with magical residue called "pixie dust". Though sadly it did not allow the Princesses or Princes to fly, it did give the area an enchanting ambiance, one that was sure to relax even the most stressed of royals.

"Perhaps we should have gone with a different color for you…" Fauna's voice was coming from the other end, behind the walls of dresses and suits. "Maybe something darker like a green-"

"Or blue!" Merriweather interjected.

"Or a darker red…." Flora noted. "It's your workroom now, you could even paint it black."

"What?" from the sound of Fairy Melody's voice the other three had caught her in the middle of something. "Oh. I like all of those colors. Black and Pink are my favorites. So it's fine. I mean yeah black's really elegant so it's my favorite- but pink's my favorite too. They're both favorite. I actually like _all_ the colors." The way she spoke was a little strange, awkward pauses and stilted delivery made it sound like Melody was unsure of her own words even as she was saying them.

"You're sure…?" It sounded like Miss Fauna.

"Yeah. I mean- it's fine. Everything is… fine." There was an unnatural silence filled only with rustling sounds before Melody added. "Is this about what you read on my school file? Because I can explain…" she trailed off.

"We'll admit some of the things we read were a little strange-" Flora began.

"Well yeah but what was I supposed to do with four tons of noodles when all I had was this itty-bitty butter knife and my wand w-"Sofia found herself rather disappointed to hear Melody cut off again as the story actually sounded rather interesting.

"No your actions regarding the "Noodle Incident" as it was put, were perfectly understandable once we read the whole story." Flora chuckled as she assured the younger fairy. "You don't need to be so nervous here… you're not graded anymore, your previous marks don't matter. Fairy Godmother says you are a good enough fairy for this job, and we trust her. We trust you."

"Thank you…" the relief was audible even from Sofia and Vivian's spot behind the gowns. "I'll do my best."

"That's all we ask of you, Melody dear." Merriweather's voice was gentle, consoling.

"Actually it-" Melody began to speak again.

"James! Zandar! Hugo! No racing in the halls! Sorry Melody we have to tend to the lunch rush." There voices were followed by a flurry of wings and a dejected sigh from the younger fairy as she pushed the gowns aside and found herself almost tripping over the brunette Princess in the purple gown who had been lingering just on the other side.

"Ah!" She stumbled back to avoid falling on the Princess. "Princesses… you startled me…" she looked from one to the other, behind the thick black frames of the glasses they could see her eyes were a bright green, encircling a burst of gold around the pupil. Sofia had always thought Fairies had the most beautiful eyes, this was just another color that added proof to her theory. "How… long have you been… you know… standing… right… there…"

"Sorry we didn't mean to eavesdrop!" Sofia quickly realized how it could be interpreted. "We just wanted to introduce ourselves!"

"You didn't answer my question… never mind." She shook herself walking between the two to the other side of the room unpacking some old books. "Hello Princesses." She plopped the books on one of the counters before turning back to them and tucking her knees in a seamless curtsy. "It is an honor to be working with you here at Royal Prep."

Sofia curtsied back, showing the utmost respect as she did so, back straight, chin tucked- the way Amber had taught her. "Hello Fairy Melody, I'm Princess Sofia."

"I-I'm Princess Vivian." Sofia was pleased to see her friend mimic the curtsy with earnest.

"Nice to meet you both." The fairy nodded to them. "Did you need something? If you do I'm afraid it'll need to wait until I've found my wand…" She turned back to all the unpacked boxes she had stored all along the walls.

"Is it missing?" Vivian sounded worried.

"What? Oh. No. Not missing. I accidentally packed it and I forgot which box it's in…"

"Oh!" Sofia perked up. "We can help you look! It's our lunch break so we're not missing any classes!" She was always excited to help, and this way, she would be able to get to know Fairy Melody a bit better too!

"R-really? But won't you guys miss lunch…?"

"If we start looking now we may find it before lunch ends!" Sofia, ever the optimist, walked up to the box closest to her and opened it. Vivian followed her lead. "I found a bunch of fabrics!" Sofia called as she rummaged through swatches of beautiful silks in every color imaginable. She was a little sad Amber had not decided to come, she would have loved this part.

"Do you have a bird?" Vivian spoke up, curiously. Sofia looked over to see her holding a beautiful onyx colored bird cage complete with golden leafing.

"Oh, yes. She's probably hiding right now. She doesn't like unpacking." Melody replied as she sat with the Princesses on the floor, surrounded by old looking scrolls that she was shaking out to see if her wand has slid between the yellowed pages.

"What's her name? What type of bird is she?" Vivian seemed truly interested, to the point where she shocked herself with her own questions. "I mean… if it's okay to ask…"

"It's fine, you must like animals."

"I do… I have a dragon at home."

"I know that feeling- oh- wait. Like an actual dragon?"

"Yeah… her name is Crackle, she's just a baby now, though."

"She sounds cute, I'd love to see her. Do you have any pets, Princess Sofia?" The brunette Princess was thoroughly enjoying hearing her friend so talkative, and learning about a potential new friend at the same time. She was almost surprised to be asked.

"I have a rabbit named Clover, he's a Blue Ribbon Bunny!"

"Awww I love rabbits…" the fairy smiled, it was nice to hear her talk with out the awkward pauses and strange inflections. She seemed comfortable with just the two Princesses. "My bird is Mal." She paused for a moment. "She's… a… dove." For a moment the awkwardness returned.

"Oh how pretty! I'd love to meet her." Sofia would love to talk to the dove, maybe ask her about why her fairy was so uncomfortable in even the simplest of conversations. Plus, Mia and Robin could have a new flying friend!

Vivian switched to a new box. Sofia searched the fabrics one more time and switched as well. The next box had a bunch of old books in it, a lot of texts on sewing throughout the ages; it seemed a lot of study went into being a Fairy Godmother. She looked through them but still found nothing, so she went to the next box. She grinned as she opened it.

"Fairy Melody! You like music!?" She pulled a golden, small, Celtic harp from the box.

"Oh, yes." She looked over from behind an increasingly large pile of books. "I have a full sized one in the back. Music is a way to channel magic. Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo wasn't just a song, it's an incantation." That was interesting, perhaps it was a tip to relay to Mr. Cedric when she got home. Though, the image of him singing a song while spell casting made her giggle.

"I like to sing! And Vivian plays the mandolin like a pro! We should play together sometime!"

"That does sound fun…"

"I think I found it!" Vivian called suddenly. She lifted a silver and pink wand out from a box of various types of chainmail that was most likely for the Princes.

"My wand!" Fairy Melody leapt to her feet. "Thank you girls so much!" She took it from Vivian, waving it in the air, causing a burst of glittering silvery dust to burst in a small firework pattern in the air. "I would have been looking all day for this… Thank you both how can I-" she cut off as something hit the dresses from the other side. "On that note time to go!"

"Wait what was-"

"Probably just Mal, but this was great. We should talk again. Later. Cool? Cool." She waved her wand and Vivian and Sofia found themselves pulled to their feet and pushed toward the door by some sort of unseen wind.

"But w-" Sofia wanted to help more.

"Lunch is going to be over soon. So run along! She scooted them out into the hallway and quickly closed the door behind the two.

"Did we upset her…?" Vivian looked worried.

"I hope not…" The princesses looked over as the door opened again and the black haired fairy poked her head out.

"One more thing." A wave of her wand and two cupcakes appeared floating between the two. Golden cake, pink frosting, red gemstone-like sprinkles. "Thanks for the help." She smiled before pulled her head back inside and the girls heard it lock with a 'click.'

* * *

Author's note: Thank you all so very much for all of your kind comments! I am very excited to continue the story. And to answer your question, MickiStarlight, you did read correctly! I am a seasonal employee at Walt Disney World!

I really hope you all enjoy the second chapter, sorry it is so long.


	3. The Missing Crown

Sorry about the lack of an update last week, I was actually sick. Here is an extra long chapter to make up for it! Thank you again for all your feedback, I hope you enjoy the update!

* * *

It had been well over a month since Fairy Melody arrived at Royal Prep Academy. Though not many young princesses had gotten the opportunity to see her, or talk to her on a more personal level (she was surprisingly scarce compared to the bubbly, ever-present Fairy Brittany), the mutual consensus among the lucky few that had met her was that she was very nice, but in a polite way, very distant and bordering on distracted and she always seemed to be disappearing at odd moments. Amber had compared her behavior to someone who was intimidated by the presence of so many Royals, a trait which the rather out spoken princess could not blame the new fairy for. However, it was obvious that Fairy Brittany was greatly missed. The gowns and accessories she made were nice, but not wowing. Overall Fairy Melody's student evaluation seemed to result in a resounding: AVERAGE. And this in particular, bothered Princess Sofia, though she could not figure out why.

It was raining this particular Enchancian day, and Amber had broken the heel of her shoe on her way up the slippery stairs after the lunch break. She was not as mad as she might have been, however, as she had not damaged her brand new and incredibly expensive tiara. She was wearing it to show to Clio who was looking to buy something similar. She had let Clio and Hildegard both try it on, it looked lovely on all three princesses so Clio knew she just had to have one. Amber was relieved it had not been scratched. "What about your shoe?" Sofia was searching for an excuse to visit the increasingly elusive fairy that worked in the school boutique, and the opportunity was knocking so loudly if sad deafening. " You can't go around with uneven shoes!"

"When you're right you're right, Sofia..." Amber looked at her broken heel in dismay. "I suppose I need to pay Fairy Melody a visit. I don't suppose I can convince you to join me...?" She clearly had no idea how to read her sister's intent. Sofia simply grinned.

"I would lover to, Amber!"

"Thanks..." The blonde sighed as she turned her hair behind her ear looking slightly guilty. "I mean she is nice and everything, it's just something about her seems... off. It makes me uncomfortable... not like scared or anything, just... I feel so awkward."

"It's okay Amber, I think she is just really shy. You used to feel awkward around Vivian too."

"You're right." Amber conceded with a heavy sigh. "I am not being fair. Not everyone can be the socialite that I am." Sofia giggled at the last part when Amber was right she was right. Her sister was ever the social prodigy and there was No denying that most of the Kingdoms' princesses looked up to Amber in ways of lavish parties and diplomatic affairs. She had the workings of a true Queen, that was not to be denied. Sofia was proud that Amber thought so highly of her opinion.

So the two sisters made their way to the boutique under the school. The color scheme had not altered, despite the fairy sisters' offer. Melody was in the middle of feeding her bird- a beautiful white dove- but she looked up as the sisters entered. "Princess Amber, Princess Sofia," she lowered herself in a seamless curtsy. "May I help you?"

"Ah yes, the heel on my shoe broke…" Amber presented the damaged good to the fairy with one hand, shifting a tad in mild discomfort. Sofia frowned, Amber really was uncomfortable around Fairy Melody- the same way she had been uneasy around Sascha the Sorceress… but Melody just seemed so harmless… "I was hoping you could fix it?"

"A shoe? Is that all?" the fairy looked surprised as she examined the two pieces of Amber's elegantly crafted slipper.

"That's all."

"But we knew you would be perfect to fix it!" Sofia quickly interjected into the conversation, worried her potential new friend might have her feelings hurt by her sister's frankness.

"Well I'm glad you came to me, it's an easy fix…" She pulled the silver and pink wand from the cup on her desk, tapping the shoe once. There was a burst of glittering silver magic that shimmered like flakes of snow before the shoe mended itself in her grip. "There you are Princess, good as new."

"Thank you, Fairy Melody."

"And may I just say you are wearing a lovely tiara?"

"Oh!" That comment seemed to warm Amber up a bit, anything commending her on her fashion expertise. "Thank you! My father bought it for me!"

"It's lovely." A small smile on the fairy's crimson lips made the Princess feel a tad better about the situation. "But you two best get on, you'll be late to class." A wave of her wand acted as a gesture to get the two girls out of the boutique.

Obediently the Princesses ran on to class. Amber tucked her tiara away along with her gown as the Princesses changed out for gym class- Amber had not been able to weasel out of it this week, much to her chagrin.

Things seemed to be going well.

That was until Amber came back.

The tiara was gone.

First thing was first- Amber went straight to the good fairies to report the missing item. She told Miss Flora before she even told Sofia. Theft was so rare at Royal Prep that it took the fairies a moment to put together a plan, but they ushered Amber away and assured her the tiara would be found.

Only then did she tell Sofia.

The dark haired Princess was shocked. In her years at the Academy she could not recall something like a tiara going missing- usually the only stolen artifacts had some sort of magical attributes- but just a tiara? What was the gain in hurting poor Amber? She had to find out what happened. So while Amber went to check in with one of the fairies after school, Sofia went to have a look around the crime scene to see if there were any animals nearby who may have witnessed something…

"Sofia?" The Princess jumped at the sound of her name as she shifted through the bushes outside the gym for clues.

"Fairy Melody!"

"Why are you in the dirt…?"

"I'm looking for Amber's tiara…" Sofia frowned wiping the dingy brown from her gown- or trying to, she seemed to just be smearing it. "I was hoping it might have just fallen out of her bag…"

"I heard about that… The Good Fairies are looking everywhere for it… I hope it gets found…"

"Me too…" Sofia sighed.

"Would you like some help looking?"

"Actually I would!" The offer made Sofia smile despite her worry for Amber. It was nice to have a chance to talk with Fairy Melody again.

"Here let's both look…" The raven haired woman knelt in the dirt as well and began pushing aside the brush, running pale fingers over the muddy blades of grass (at least it had stopped raining). "I suppose it could have rolled or something…"

"Or maybe someone accidentally kicked it asi-ow!"

"Are you all right?" The fairy looked over to see the Princess cradling her hand.

"Yeah I just pricked my finger…" Sofia sighed, shaking out her hand.

"Be careful Princess," She took Sofia's hand gently and tapped her wand against it. A purple Band-Aid materialized and wrapped itself neatly around the wound. "We don't want anything to happen to you…" She tucked her wand back into her pocket.

"Wow thanks!" Sofia examined the Band-Aid for a moment before going back to looking through the brush. Nothing,

They went to check the locker rooms but still came out empty handed. They even went to the stables only to turn up empty handed. They headed back toward the walkway again when Amber came running up, tiara in hand and the Three Good Fairies in tow.

"Sofia! We found it!"

"That's great Amber!" Relief washed over her as she saw her sister reunited with the precious tiara. Amber looked so happy to have it back.

"Melody, good you're here… we need to speak with you…" Fauna twirled her wand uncomfortably.

"Oh?" the fairy woman stood back up, dwarfing her superiors with her full height.

"Alone…." Flora lowered her voice.

"What is it…?" The Fairy woman took a step back. "You can say it…"

"Maybe there is something you'd like to tell us?" Flora kept her voice low. "Something about the tiara…?"

"… I don't follow…"

"About its location…?" Fauna urged.

"Still not getting it…"

Merriweather had been getting angrier and angrier in the back as her sisters tried to circumvent the issue with flowery words. Her cheeks were puffed out, turning a rather unflattering shade of red- her blue eyes were narrowed in frustration. She kept holding it as each sister spoke until she could hold it in no longer. "About how you stole it!"

"… wait… what?" Melody's gold-green eyes stared blankly at the three sisters.

"The tiara was discovered among your things…" Flora bore a regretful expression, looking up at the woman with concern.

"H… hold on… you don't really think I took it do you?"

"Evidence seems to suggest you did, dearie… and with your… history… it is not as unexpected as we would hope…" Fauna seemed legitimately upset by the idea that Melody might be the culprit, her eyes were downcast, and her shoulders slumped. Fairy Melody, on the other hand, was having quite the unexpected reaction. Her eyes narrowed, her posture straightened and her fingers tightened around her wand, mouth drawing into a tight lipped frown.

"I didn't do it."

"We just want to ask you some things about it… please don't make this difficult." Flora noticed the grip on her wand and reached for her own.

"Wait!" Sofia had overheard most every word despite the efforts of the fairies to stay quiet. Amber had already taken her leave, wanting to get home before anything else happened to her tiara. Sofia ran between the three small fairies and the taller, younger one. "I don't think Fairy Melody would take Amber's crown at all!"

"There's a good deal about Miss Melody of which you are unaware, Princess. We're not arresting her we just want to ask her about the crown." Flora spoke very calmly, the ever patient oldest sister was always good at maintaining peace.

"Yes but she says she didn't do it! And fairy Melody wouldn't lie! Right?" Sofia looked over at the straight faced woman with the jet black hair. "You… you won't lie to me… would you?" Brown eyes met golden flecked green. There was a moment of silence- almost a hesitation on the part of the fairy godmother before finally she spoke.

"Of course not, Sofia."

"Then she's innocent." Sofia spoke with determination. "Just give me some time and I'll find out what really happened to Amber's tiara!"

"Sofia…" Fauna actually looked pleased to see the Princess stepping up. "Of course. Until then though, we would like to ask Melody a few questions… if you wouldn't mind…"

"As you wish…" the princess sticking up for her seemed to have quelled the intensity in the fairy's objections.

The Princess ran off, back into the school. There had to be a clue- something to disprove the link between Melody and the disappearing tiara. The fact that it had ended up in her boutique was odd, yes, but even the fairies admitted that it was not definite proof of guilt. Still… there had to be a reason for the jeweled treasure to end up on the underside of the school nearly across the vast campus from its original destination. If only there was someone to talk to… someone who may have seen the incident… but there were no students who weren't out in the gym practicing sword fighting- even the princesses had to learn basic techniques.

Though… there was a chance that her original idea could still work- with Melody around she had not been able to check with the local animals. But now that she was alone…

She ran back toward the outdoors- the stables faced the gym where Amber had stored her things- perhaps the horses saw something…

"Minimus!" Sofia burst in, carrying part of her gown so it did not track in any more mud than it already had. "I need to ask you something!"

The small horse stuck his head over the door. "What is it Princess?"

"Did you see Fairy Melody around the gym earlier? People think she's stolen Amber's tiara and I need to prove them wrong!"

"You mean the woman with the long black hair…?" the horse cocked his head to the side trying to recall. "I saw her outside the gym while you were at sword fighting practice. I think she was in some kind of rush…"

"Oh." Well that didn't sound promising. "But she must have been doing something else…"

"What makes you so sure?" Minimus sounded genuinely curious, it was good to hear her friend had some confidence in her judgment. It made this little quest much easier.

"Well…" Sofia sighed a bit, "she's really nice… and she's a little awkward but she seems to like us… and the school… and her job… and it just seems… I just don't think she would do something that mean to Amber…"

"Huh… you're the first person to say that about her… I've heard from some of the other animals that she spends all her time talking to herself… or to snakes… and that generally she's not a fan of the outdoors or anything found in it… but if you like her Princess, she must be pretty nice."

"I can talk to snakes." Sofia pointed out. "And she does like animals, she even has a pet bird-" She cut off at her own words. Mal! Melody's dove! She lived in the boutique! If anything weird was happening, Mal would have seen it. "Minimus you're a genius!" She wrapped her hands around the soft, furry neck of her noble steed.

"I am?" he sounded shocked as the Princess nuzzled into his mane.

"You are! I'll be back with some sugar cubes for you later! You're a huge help!" She released the horse and stroked his mane one last time before taking off running back into the school, into the boutique. Mal was out of her cage, sitting on one of the brushes looking at her reflection.

"Mal can I speak with you?" Sofia approached more slowly, worried about scaring the snowy bird away. "It's important?"

"Speak all you want human…" the reply was flat. Mal's voice was unexpectedly dry for a dove, a deep and rich tone that was actually stronger than the soft spoken voice of her fairy owner. "It's not like you'll understand my reply."

"Oh, but I will!" Sofia interjected. Mal looked over in surprise.

"You speak bird…?"

"My Amulet lets me speak to all animals, which is good because I really need your help." Sofia was speaking hurriedly, her own excitement rushing her words.

"Oh? What is it you need little girl." Mal was a bit more forward than most of her feathered friends but Sofia was too eager to be off put.

"Did you see anything weird in here earlier? Anything that may have led to a tiara being left here? It belonged to my sister Amber, you saw her wearing it earlier…"

"Oh that shiny thing on the blonde girl's head? Yes. I took it. I'll take anything shiny."

"You took it!?" Relief enveloped the copper haired princess.

"Indeed. I like shiny objects. I take anything that sparkles."

"This is great! I mean- it's not- you shouldn't take things that don't belong to you, but it means that Fairy Melody didn't do it! Come with me! We need to tell the Good Fairies everything! Fairy Melody is being blamed for stealing that tiara!"

"Stealing? Her? Oh it's beneath her… I suppose I can come along…" The dove fluttered onto Sofia's arm and she was taken aback by how heavy it was. (Perhaps it was a spoiled little bird, not unlikely considering the personality of her owner). The Princess carried the dove all the way back to the Good fairies' office and knocked heavily on the door. It was Flora who opened it.

"Ah yes Sofia, please come in," the red fairy stepped aside.

"Fairy Melody is innocent! It was Mal who took the tiara!" The Princess stumbled in carrying the feathered weight on her arm, holding it out to Fairy Melody who seemed both impressed and pleased to see the girl again.

"Now that does make some sense…" Flora looked at her two sisters, only Merriweather seemed displeased with the alternate explanation. "That does match up with the story Melody just told us too. Though, I'm surprised such a small bird can carry such a large tiara…"

As if to prove a point, Mal flew off Sofia's arm and wrapped her talons on the Princess's tiara, pulling it free of her hair and trying to make off with it again. Melody whistled and the bird hovered in the air allowing the fairy to take the crown from her. "See!" Sofia was elated by the discovery, bouncing as Melody handed her back her own tiara.

"You need to keep a better eye on your bird…" Fauna smiled. "You're both dismissed, sorry for the confusion Melody."

"It's fine…" Melody nodded politely before turning to Sofia, she waved her wand cleaning the mud from her dress. "I owe you one Princess... you have no idea how much that meant to me…"


	4. A Walk in the Woodssss

A much shorter chapter to combat last weeks long one. I hope you enjoy. Please remember to tell me what you think/ what you would like to see in future chapters so I can help make this story more interesting for you!

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"Hey Fairy Melody, I've been meaning to ask you something." Sofia was sitting on one of the plush waiting chairs in the boutique while Fairy Melody practiced one of her decoration spells, trying to turn the already quite lavish room into something out of a royal party.

"Yes Sofia?" She was clearly somewhat distracted, but Sofia had always been bad at noticing when magic users wanted to focus rather than talk. It was nice though, that Fairy melody had dropped the Princess title with her at long last- and no wonder- Sofia had been coming into the boutique every day during her free time to try and get to know the somewhat standoffish, magical woman. (It was Sofia's utmost desire for Fairy Melody to be her newest friend).

"It's about the Noodle Incident…? I heard you and Miss Fauna discussing it one time- it sounds like an interesting story."

"Oh that." Her concentration was shattered by the question and the drapes ended up flying off the wall and knocking into Mal's cage. She did not have anything nice to say about the sudden disturbance as her white feathers fluffed up making her look considerably larger. "Calm yourself you old bird." Melody huffed going to retrieve the fallen curtains. "It wasn't that bad."

"Wait! Can you talk to animals?" The thought had just now struck the princess, Melody was not human after all, she was a fairy, it was a possibility she could understand them too.

"What? Oh, no. I just understand Mal because I've had her so long. She's rather vocal." The fairy's golden-green eyes shot a stern look at the protesting bird.

"Who are you calling old your sparkle-shooting, overgrown pixie?" Mal grumbled though at the look, she quieted her complaints. Sofia couldn't help but laugh. Silly bird.

"I mean I can talk to certain magical creatures… trolls, goblins, giants, pixies… those sort but that runs in the family and the three good fairies can do it too so it's not that big of a deal. Plus I don't run into those creatures much because I don't like the outdoors."

"But the outdoors are wonderful!" Sofia interjected- forgetting briefly about her question. "And there's so much to do! Hiking, swimming, horseback riding-"

"Bugs, dirt, the sun" Melody cut her off, "helping" the princess create her list.

"Tea parties in the garden, picking flowers, or running races!"

"I refer you to my previous insect related complaint." The dry response from the fairy made the Princess giggle. This was the side of Fairy Melody she wanted to share. She was actually fun, though it was really only with Sofia and Vivian that she seemed to be most open.

Vivian had told Sofia on several occasions that she went down to visit and had a nice time painting the lavish designs in the boutique that were constantly changing thanks to Melody's relentless practice. But that is why she was at Royal Prep. To practice.

"We should go outside!" Sofia suggested as Fairy Melody tried once more to lift and alter the curtains but the sudden outburst from the princess caused the fabrics to go careening into the back shelves, knocking them over entirely. Sofia covered her mouth realizing her mistake only after it was too late. "Sorry about that." She got up immediately to help the raven haired fairy go to put her things back in order, knowing that it was entirely her fault everything was in disarray. Melody seemed… mildly annoyed at most, heaving a sigh and heading over beside the young Princess.

"It's okay, I need to be less easily startled." They started putting things back on the shelves, old books, old scrolls, various magical things that made Sofia think of Cedric and his tower. She stopped as she noticed one of the scrolls moving and a golden head slithered out from it.

"I… is that a snake?" Sofia asked a bit shocked by its rather sudden appearance.

"What? No! Of course not!" Melody was quick to deny it. Sofia looked at her, then back to what was clearly a snake, then back to the Fairy who now also looked at the snake. "Oh… wait… no. That is definitely a snake."

"Yes… it is." That was a bit of a weird reaction on Fairy Melody's part, but Sofia realized she might have thought she was referencing something else.

"Well Sofia, it looks like we do get to go outside after all. This little guy has been sneaking in here for a while. I don't know why. I don't have anything in which he would be interested." She seemed to be talking to herself as she waved her wand and scoped the snake up into a bubble. Sofia was disappointed that the bubble seemed to mute the poor snake so she couldn't hear its side of the story.

"Maybe he's hungry?" Sofia suggested as they started heading toward the outdoors.

"Maybe. But there is more to eat outdoors than in my workspace." She was at least gentle with the animal, which had curled itself up in the bubble and was giving the fairy a dirty look of its own. Maybe she could find it later, talk to it and help it find a more reliable food source. She followed the tall fairy woman to the grounds and watched her lower the bubble before popping it and letting the snake drift gently into the grass before slithering away.

"She always does this. I am not going in that bubble again, I don't care what happens." The snake hissed sounding annoyed as it slithered away into the grass.

"And that is enough outside time." Fairy Melody turned to go in.

"Wait! You're out here right! We should do something fun! Let's go for a walk!" She grabbed the fairy's hand, the one without the wand- her hands were cold from being in doors all day.

"Do we really have to?"

"We _get _to!" Sofia tugged her down the path that led to a lovely little gazebo in a rose garden, she knew Fairy Melody would love something so calm and pretty.

"If you insist." The fairy shrugged lightly and followed the pull of the princess without much in the way of real resistance. It made Sofia giggle to see that she was able to have such a light relationship with the new fairy- it was hard to be new, and Sofia was well aware of that struggle. "Sofia, I noticed you aren't on the list of Princesses wanting to be my Practice Princess…" Melody brought up the topic unexpectedly.

"Oh? Yeah I don't think I need a fairy- my life is already pretty great." Sofia replied honestly. She did not want to downplay Melody's role but at the same time with her mom and dad, her brother and sister, Bailiwick, Cedric, and Gwen all at the castle she was one of the happiest princesses in the Kingdom- perhaps even in all the Kingdoms combined. "I don't want to take the opportunity away from someone who needs your help…"

"Sofia it's a practice princess. Every princess on the list is privileged. It's for the best because it's only practice. I need to be good at what I do before I can help a Princess in need- otherwise things go badly. Like this one time I turned Snow White's hair purple with orange polka dots… She was really nice about the failure but I still felt awful. Luckily Fairy Godmother undid it before her big dinner…" Melody sighed heavily. Sofia wanted to giggle at the image of the fairest princess in the land with polka dotted hair, but she stifled the urge so as not to be rude.

"Oh speaking of stories! The noodle incident!" Sofia reminded her.

"Right! I was going to tell you that." Fairy Melody looked back over to the Princess dragging her along. "So it started on Thursday, right. I was in my dorm when Fairy Godmother was having us practice our coach transformations. I thought it was normal enough until I realized that I had no pumpkin because of this stupid fairy prank that involved fourteen fay-corgis and mounted glitter canons-"

"Sofia!" Amber cut her off as the entered the clearing to see it being set up for some sort of event. (Sofia was rather upset because this tale got more and more outlandish with every part she heard, but seeing her sister was always nice). "Glad you came maybe you can help us finish decorating for tomorrow! We're having a party!"

"Decorating? That sounds like fun! Fairy Melody was just practicing decorations! Maybe she can help…" Sofia trailed off because the expression on Amber's face was hesitant.

"Well we were hoping for something… with pizazz…" Amber was trying her best to be polite about it. After the crown incident Amber was the first to help defend the awkward fairy- so it wasn't that the golden haired princess did not trust her- she was just not an overwhelming fan of her work. But it was like Fairy Melody said, it was practice.

"It's all right Sofia, really." Fairy Melody smiled at her. "Something so big would be difficult for me anyway…"

"But you should try! It's all about practice right?" She looked at both Amber and Melody.

"Right…" Amber sighed a bit, having trouble admitting Sofia was right when it came to one of _her_ parties. (Amber liked to be in control of the situation, and this took things out of her comfort zone.) "Fairy Melody, would you please help us decorate…? We want pink and purple with white accents…" she curtsied politely.

"I… I'll try Princess." She nodded as she raised her wand. "Bippidi Boppidi Boo! May all Amber's Decoration ideas come into bloom!" A wave of very wand and-

The rose bushes had grown high, over them were tarps draped in rich reds and golds and deep blacks and greens; a lovely array of colors- none of which Amber had asked for.

"The fabrics are pretty… b… but it's not what I had in mind…" Amber frowned seeing all her work altered- and while it was lavish the feel was not at all Amber's style. The towering bushes made the area too dark and it was in heavy contrast with the fiery colors of the red and gold. Melody's face actually went a bit red as she gazed at the work, swallowing hard and straightening her back. Her fingers tightened around the wand so tightly her already pale knuckles were turning white from the added stress.

"Let me try again." Amber looked at the determination in her face and nodded.

"Go ahead."

"Bippidi Boppidi Boo! Let's make Amber's dream come true!" She waved her hand again and this time the area went back to the same general style it was but the colors were warped- bright purples with dingy greens, glittering silvers with rusted browns. It was a mess. Melody looked crestfallen by the change. "Princess I'm so sorry I-"

"Maybe you can just turn it back." Amber was trying hard not to look back at the clashing disaster before her.

"Bippidi Boppidi Boo…" Melody's voice trembled. "J-just do what I want you to do!" She cast the wand forward and littered everything in a sea of green polka dots. Amber sighed.

"This is fine… we can paint over them… th… thank you for trying Fairy Melody."

"Princess I'm really sorry let me help-"

"No it's really okay."

"I like the dots! They're cute!" Sofia tried her best to help.

"They're nice, just not what we had in mind." Amber replied still polite but clearly distracted by thinking on how she would cover the mess. "And it's sort of a big party…"

"Really? Who's it for?" Sofia was now honestly curious, maybe there is a way they could work green polka dots into the theme… if it were Miss Fauna she's love them!

"Oh you didn't here!?" Amber cheered up almost instantly. "Fairy Brittany is coming back!"

"Oh that's great!" Sofia did miss that cheery faced blonde with all her good natured charm. "She was so nice-"

Surprisingly the Princess was cut off by her fairy friend. "I… I have to go." Without a word Melody turned on her heel and headed back inside.

Amber frowned. "What got into her?"


	5. Fairy Brittany

Author Notes: Sorry about the delay, truth is I had this chapter nearly completed and it got delayed somehow so here I am trying again. I had to rewrite almost all of it.

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"Have you seen Melody?" Sofia had not expected the first words from Fairy Brittany to be so worried. In fact, the poor fairy woman looked almost haggard her perfectly styled golden hair was escaping its lavender veil, her usually rosy cheeks had turned a bright red that was creeping all along her face. The small, robust woman was in quite the state.

"She isn't in her boutique?" That was where the Princess always pictured the tall, pale faced fairy who currently occupied the role of boutique hostess, the idea of her being missing was an odd one.

"She was..." there was a dejected air in Brittany's delivery. "But when I went down there she was leaving with Mal on her arm. I tried calling out to her but I guess she didn't hear me..." her face had fallen considerably as she recounted the incident. "This is the fourth time I have just missed her today, and it's only lunch time. I even tried waiting for her in the boutique but she never came back, and then your sister needed me and right as I was leaving she came back in. Is she mad at me?"

"Not that I know of." Sofia replied truthfully. Then again, Melody had one of those incredibly easy going personalities so it was nearly impossible to imagine her angry- Sofia wasn't sure if she would recognize signs of anger in her.

"Oh that is such a relief!" Brittany sighed her face visibly growing less flustered as the young Princess spoke. "Everyone says you're her best friend here at Royal Prep so if anyone would know it's you!"

"Really? I am her best friend?" The realization gave Sofia a fluttering sensation in her stomach, one she recognized as pride- well-earned for finding a new friend she could help. "That is great! I love Melody!"

"Me too, she is my best friend from the Academy. That is why I was so afraid of upsetting her."

"I think it is just coincidence." Sofia smiled brightly, her mood rejuvenated by the realization that she had a best friend in Melody. "But I can talk to her if you want!"

"You know what? I don't think you need to, I am probably overreacting. Thanks for making me feel better. I tried asking the other Princesses but the girls with whom I had spoken had no idea that Melody and I even knew each other."

To be honest, Sofia had only a vague notion that the two knew each other, and that idea had been the product of Melody's introduction and the way she had acted when trying to help Amber decorate for Brittany's welcoming party. That being said, Melody was a nice person- shy and a bit awkward in social situations- but overall she was very genuine and hard working. It was hard to imagine her upsetting Brittany for any reason, especially doing it purposefully. "Are you going on the field trip Friday? We are going to see the royal courts meet!"

"Of course! The entire school is going, I would be dreadfully lonely if I stayed behind. My practice princess is at on a big family trip, so I'm free all week!"

"Well, Fairy Melody is chaperoning our grade! You can tag along with us and you two can spend all the time together that you want!"

"That is a great idea Sofia! I will go tell Miss Flora, Fauna, and Merriweather right away!" Brittany left with her usual bounce back in her step. It was good to know the two Fairies were friends. The way Melody had been acting had left Sofia concerned. (A concern that still lingered, perhaps it would be a good idea to see if she could find Melody.)

The black haired fairy was not in the boutique, or the lunch room, or in the stables, or in the Derby fields. Lunch was coming to an end and there was no sign of her.

Sofia eventually found her standing by the clock tower watching the sky. Following her gaze, Sofia could just make out Mal flying off in the distance. Sofia quickly ran to her side. "Hey! I was looking for you!"

"Oh hi Sofia." Melody smiled down at her, adjusting her glasses absentmindedly. "Sorry to go missing, I was just mailing a letter to my parents, did you need something?"

"Oh no I was lost looking for you…" Sofia faltered. "Wait? Your parents?"

"Yeah, my mom and dad live pretty far away, but Mal knows the way by heart." The dark haired woman smiled, but there was a sadness to it. "I only get to see them around the holidays... but that is okay. Just makes the holidays all the more special, right?"

"Right!" Sofia was entranced by the idea of learning about her newest friend's past, it briefly made her forget her entire reason for finding Melody. "Are you close to your parents?"

"Incredibly. When I was a little girl I would grab onto my mother's dress and have her drag me around the floor. Or Dad would let me ride on his shoulders and I would steal this... ridiculous hat he always wore and try to wear it, it would fall down over my face every time but I kept trying..." she had a fond smile on her face as she remembered it all.

"I know I would miss my family if I was away for such a long time. But you have your friends, right? Like me! And Vivian! And Fairy Brittany!" There was a sudden, visible discomfort in Melody's expression at the mention of Brittany. Sofia felt her own heart sink into the pit of her stomach.

"Right... Brittany..." the talk fairy had a rather sudden change in her body language, turning so her back was toward the Princess her face cast downward.

"I don't want to sound rude..." the Princess hesitated as she noticed the changes in the black haired fairy's demeanor. "But Brittany thinks you might be avoiding her…"

"Yeah... no..." Melody wasn't looking at her. "I am... but not to be mean or anything... it is nothing Brittany did. I just... I didn't expect her to come visit so soon.

"Of course she came to visit! You guys are friend, aren't you? "

"Well..." Melody had a vocal tick that Sophia had picked up on in the months they had known each other. One such tell was when Melody felt uncomfortable of nervous with a situation, she had a tendency to draw out her words as if trying to stall until she could think of the next one. It wasn't too noticeable, except in situations like this one, where every word seemed to be several seconds long. "Yes ... I mean ... we are ... Everybody likes Brittany... it is kind of hard not to... it's just... I dunno... complicated. "

"Well you two will have plenty of time to reconnect on the trip today! Brittany has decided to help you chaperone! So you guys can catch up! So let's go! The coach will be leaving in five minutes! "

"She what? Oh no no no no. No. I can't go now. I can't see her yet! "

"Why not?" Sofia was completely at a loss. Melody had just said they were friends and they weren't fighting; so why was the newer fairy so intent on hiding?

"Why indeed?" both the Princess and the fairy did a double take as Brittany's voice addressed them from them from behind. The smallest blonde fairy was standing there, most likely having continued her search for Melody.

"You weren't supposed to hear that..." Melody had an incredibly guilty expression on her face.

"So you are mad at me?"

"No... I just don't really want to talk right now... to you..."

"That is kind of rude, don't you think?"

"Maybe. But you would know oh so much better than I would. Wouldn't you? "

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?"

"Hey wait a second!" Sofia had to take a step back, for every angry comment exchanged between the two Fairies, brought them closer and closer to one another.

"You're fairy godmother's prized protégé aren't you? I think you should be smart enough to figure that one out."

"Why are you being so cold? You were so nice in school. Remember when you had trouble mastering the blanket stitch with your wand? You ended up sewing you're sleeve to the-"

"I had JUST started the Academy when I did that!

"And you were nice about it! When I tried talking to you then- you help you, mind you- you didn't snap at me like I was some kind of unwelcome pest!" Brittany's ordinarily pink cheeks were nearly crimson with anger. Even Melody's pale features were gaining color from the heat of the argument.

"Unwelcome? When has the great and powerful Brittany ever been unwelcome!? You just coasted through school you never even had to try! And now you have to come back here and continue to show everyone just how great you still are!"

"Well maybe you would have been able to do better if you didn't have such a temper problem!"

"This is why I didn't want to talk to you!"

"Well if I knew you were going to be this angry I would not have bothered trying to find you at all!"

"Well fine then! Don't look next time! "

"I won't!"

"Good!"

"Good riddance!" And both adults stormed off in opposite directions leaving a very stunned Sofia in their wake. It was a bit overwhelming. She had never seen either fairy get genuinely angry before and had certainly not expected such an outburst. According to Brittany, Melody had a temper problem but to be honest this was the first evidence Sofia had ever seen of it.

She sat down, skirt fanning out around her in the grass as she put her head in her hands. What to do?

It was so unlike Melody to lean out like that. She was fine when they had been talking one on one. ..

A familiar warmth tingled around her neck, bathing her in a calming ethereal glow. She could hear sudden footsteps in the grass. "Sofia, are you all right? You look down..." the Princess looked up her eyes widening in wonder. No matter how many times her amulet came through food net it never ceased to astound her.

"Princess Anna!" Indeed the red headed Princess was looking quite out of place in her winter cloak in the middle of fall when it was still quite warm. "What are you doing here!?"

"Your amulet called me here. Sounds like you might need a little advice? "

"I do... my two friends are having a really big fight and I don't know went because when I asked them neither one of them were mad at each other... but they just started fighting when I brought them together. .." Sofia looked up hopefully at the winter Princess. Anna was looking up at the sky, deep in thought.

"You know when people are scared, sometimes they say things to hide it... and that only makes things worse because no one knows why the other is upset and just feels that they are acting irrationally. Mt sister and I had a really big fight one time- in front of everyone. We were just yelling at each other with no idea why the other one was upset. I thought Elsa was being cold and hassles but she was right. She thought I was being brash and ignorant but I was just lonely and she was scared. Too afraid of me to sit me down and explain herself."

"So you were only fighting because you felt you couldn't talk..."

"And it took an act of true love for both of us to realize that if we were feeling that way, all we needed to do was talk things out..._but_ it might have helped if we had a friend willing to help us open up a bit. "

That made sense, this was not a petty fight, and there was something deeper. If she had to guess it was Fairy Melody who was lashing out the most.

"Princess Anna, tha-" she never finished her sentence, for when she's looked up the red headed Princess was gone.

Down she ran, to the boutique where's, like she was hoping, Fairy Melody was sitting, her head was in her arms, the purple veil that hung down the back of her head was draped over her long, straight blah hair causing the light lavender to appear a more rich and deeper color. Her face was completely hidden, glasses tossed carelessly to the side. Her entire demeanor was upset.

"Fairy Melody?"

"Sofia?" she lifted her head up a bit, she looked a tad silly. Without the glasses her eyes were slightly crossed and she was squinting amalgam to try to focus on the Princesses before her. The brunette gave her a comforting smile. "I am honestly surprised you still want to talk to me after that... I was just awful. .."

"You sure weren't yourself," Sofia confirmed as politely as she could.

"Brittany is right, I used to have a dreadful temper, I came to the fairy Academy partially in hopes I could learn to control it. She let out a heavy sigh. "I had been doing so well too..." she ran her fingers through her hair and used her free hand to fumble blindly for her glasses, slipping them back over her long, angular nose. "But the word thing is, I am not even that mad. .. I have no idea why I blew up like that. "

"But then went were you avoiding Brittany earlier? " now was her chance to take Princess Anna's advice and find the underlying root of the problem before if turned into another wild storm of anger.

"Truth is, I'm embarrassed. Back in school, Brittany trained me. She was my eldest and she was the one I could count on to always get everything right. They call her Fairy Godmother's protégé, the other Fairies love her, Princesses from your sister to Cinderella herself have said that Brittany is what it means took be a Fairy Godmother. Her spells have always been flawless, and she even looks the part you see the way the Princesses flock to her. .. I knew she was going to be visiting eventually... but..." the dark-haired woman heaved a heavy sigh and for a moment Sofia was afraid she might start crying from the way her voice wavered. "I just wanted to be better at my job before she saw me... I wanted to really improve. I wanted her to be proud of me..." she bit her lip and leaned her hand against her forehead starting nor directly at Sofia but instead at her reflection in the mirror that surrounded the boutique. "It is really childish, I know, but since I got here I have heard nothing but how much better Fairy Brittany was at everything. I haven't gotten any better. And I guesses when I saw her again and all of that came flooding back to me, I just sorry of snapped."

Sofia had been sitting quietly letting Fairy Melody do what sounded like some much needed talking. It made a little bit more sense now, why Melody had reacted so angrily. She felt badly about herself and letting it build up inside her over all the months she had been at Royal Prep. "I had no idea you felt that way..." Sofia said at last.

"Yeah, pretty petty, I know. And here I am just letting it all out on you. I am so sorry you had to hear all of that, Sofia. It's not your problem. "

"If you are feeling this sad than it is my problem! You're my friend!" Sofia was not one to stand aside when someone she cared about was in trouble, and now she knew the problem and it seemed to be a fairly easy fix. "I think you are a fantastic fairy! And so do all the others! They just forget that you are learning!

"But I am not in school anymore. I should be better than this. "

"I think you're great."

"You're way too nice to me. Especially since I was just horrible to Brittany. .."

"You could always go apologize!" Sofia suggested, though she half expected the woman top object- years of dealing with Amber and Cedric and even James (to a lesser extent) had made it seem like the simple apology was only a last resort. So she's was a bit shocked when Melody nodded and rose slowly to her feet.

"Think you can come with me? I don't know if Brittany will want to talk to me." She looked sheepishly up over the thick, squares rims of her black framed glasses.

"Of course!" Sofia ton her hand and dragged her purposefully out into the sunlight and toward the main building where she assumed Brittany would be surrounded by her usual flock of excited students. However when they found her she was alone, helping Professor Popov deal with some rashes feisty enchanted tap shoes. She liked up when she heard the door open. Her sapphire eyes fell on Melody and instantly her expression changed from curious to indignant. Her cheeks grew red, her eyes narrowed and she straightened herself up to as tall as she could go-which, unfortunately for her, was not very.

"Princess Sofia, I see you have brought company with you?" she tossed her golden curls in a huff as she went back to focusing on her working.

"I did. Melody wanted to tell you something." Sofia could understand that Brittany was upset; but she remembered that the blonde was also incredibly forgiving of honest mistakes.

"Going to yell at me again?" she did not hornet looking up from her work this time.

"I suppose I deserved that..." Melody replied quietly, she sounded so guilty that Brittany had to look up. "Brittany, what I said to you wad wrong. I implied that you were vain, and I made you out to be someone I disliked- and none of that is true. I am not even angry with you. I can't be, you haven't done anything wrong. I was frustrated and stressed and I took it out on you. It was wrong of me and I am so sorry. C-can you forgive me?" she stuttered in her apology, but overall it was exactly what Sofia was hoping to hear. Melody sounded genuinely upset by her actions.

"Melody..." Brittany was wide-eyed as she ran over to the much taller fairy and jumped up, hugging her tightly around the shoulders. "Of course I forgive you! I was a bit nasty back there too so I should also say sorry." Much to Sofia's relief Melody returned the eager hug, even if was with considerably less enthusiasm on her part.

"You have nothing to be sorry for I started the whole thing."

"But I kept harassing you when you clearly didn't want to talk."

"You were just being your friendly self. I should have been an adult and not avoided you in the first place."

"Why were you avoiding me? I want to see how much you have improved since you graduated the Academy!"

The joyful apology exchange was abruptly ended by Melody coughing as if she were choking on her own breath. "Oh that. " her voice cracked as she put Brittany back down on her feet. "It... It was nothing, just me being childish and foolish. "

"If you don't want to tell me I won't push the issue." Brittany gave her a very serious look. "But you know you can trust me."

"I know. And trust me. It was really nothing. "

Sofia frowned as the subject was dropped. She was hoping Brittany could help Melody see just how much she had improved, or how great she's wad at her job. But if Melody would not tell her the problem that was brewing due to her insecurities then there was no way Brittany could help.

But, they still had time yet. Melody and Brittany wets going to be working together on the big trip on Friday. Maybe Sofia could help Melody boost her confidence then!

* * *

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed the story! There is more with Fairy Brittany and Fairy Melody still to come! This is just setting up for later events. I hope you enjoyed it, sorry again for the delay. I tried to rewrite it as best as I could.


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